Nokia and AT&T have a historically rocky relationship. The first Symbian-powered smartphone I got, the 6620, was actually from AT&T, though I was on Cingular at the time. Over the past few years, the two have been able to squeeze out a maximum of one or two smartphones per year, typically after endless delays. When AT&T does get around to launching a phone, it’s typically stripped and branded, with little from Nokia left intact. Worse yet, AT&T tends to market Symbian as somewhat of an advanced feature phone, rather than a true smartphone platform. However, it seems that’s starting to change.
I nearly wet my pants the other night when I was watching tv - regular, broadcast tv, not internet tv - and saw a commercial that not only mentioned, but HIGHLIGHTED a Symbian-powered smartphone, the E71x from AT&T. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I found the ad on YouTube, and embedded it below:
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As you can see, not only is the E71x highlighted, but it’s the focus of the commercial AND it’s presented as a truly powerful smartphone. Color me impressed, AT&T.
Moving in somewhat the same direction, today Nokia officially announced that the Ovi Store was ready to go in several countries, including the U.S. Even more impressive is that they included AT&T in the press release, specifically mentioning that AT&T customers would be able to access the Ovi Store later this year. It is not clear whether that will include operator billing or not, but it doesn’t really matter, in my opinion. Since the Nokia E62, through the N75, and onto the E71x, AT&T has demanded that Nokia remove its Download! application from its branded phones, denying users the ability to download the paltry selection of applications included there. The fact that AT&T is ready to hook up with Ovi Store is a big step, in my opinion.
While we don’t make it a habit to cover leaks here on Symbian-Guru.com, I do want to also highlight a new one, apparently dubbed the Mako, that Nokia and AT&T are planning to launch later this year. While this thing is by far one of the ugliest Symbian-powered smartphones I believe I’ve ever seen, the important thing is to notice that, according to the rumored specs, it’s likely to be extremely entry-level, and being designed specifically for AT&T. This will mark the first time in years (if ever) that AT&T has has more than one Symbian-powered smartphone on its lineup, and an impressive step forward for Nokia in the U.S. market.
I’m sure you’re thinking, ‘but Ricky, you constantly preach that unbranded > branded, always, so why are you excited about AT&T supporting Nokia?‘ Great question, and you’re absolutely right - unbranded > branded, always. However, it’s no secret that Nokia has issues properly supporting NAM units. Don’t get me wrong, the NAM folks have clearly been working overtime, and have gotten things sped up quite nicely. For the most part, NAM phones get firmware updates within weeks of their Euro counterparts, rather than months, and NAM variants typically hit the market in quick order after the Euro, if not simultaneously. Eventually I’d like to see the distinction between NAM and Euro models eliminated, in terms of availability, firmware, etc.
As such, with AT&T, the largest GSM carrier in the U.S., getting friendlier and more comfortable with Symbian, we’re likely to see increased sales of Symbian-powered smartphones here. Increased sales means a bigger North American presence for Symbian, which means increased availability of resources, as well. It could be, oddly enough, that AT&T’s sales might help those of us who insist on unbranded handsets get quicker updates. Irony at its finest.
